Flop

And, then there is this little project that flopped.

My feeble attempt at actually 'making' something for her birthday gift turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. It failed on all levels, which means I have a long way to go before I can create something that I don't have to immediately hide away.

Oh, well...

Tyranny

The tyranny of the shopping mall.

Almost everyone I know agrees that ION Orchard is a mall with a truly hideous exterior. The architecture is tasteless and possibly ugly. Exclusive brand names that adorn the entrance serve as dissuasive sentries. Until this morning, I had not dared to step in. Finally, I summoned up the courage to enter and to wander about aimlessly.

I was crushed. There is not a single store occupying those few thousand square metres, where I can actually afford to buy something. In fact, most of those stores only sell things that I will NEVER be able and willing to pay for. I found myself frustrating a shop assistant who was watching over $200,000 clocks. I spotted a Marmalade Pantry outlet and was justifiably overjoyed... only to be completely crushed again. It was 1130 am, almost every table was empty, yet I was quietly informed that the next open reservation was at 230 pm. I was to queue up with ghosts.

I realised that I had to get out right away. And, I did. My feet carried me to the only refuge that could heal. The only store where I feel I WANT to possess the wares on display. Kinokuniya next door. All six volumes of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire are in stock in Everyman's Classic Hardcover.

That will be for another day.

Prejudice

I have been reading Democracy in America, de Tocqueville's epic political travelogue. It is a monumental read. I am beginning to realise why it is such a great book.

At times, I can't put it down. At other times, I can't seem to read more than a few pages at a time, simply due to the sheer weight of content. Clearly, it is not the easiest of evening lounge reads. It is rigorous political discourse, full of contemplation, speculation and opinion.

Sometimes, I wonder if it is the kind of book I would write. Not for the depth of expertise, the keenness of observation, or the quality of writing, but for the conviction with which he blatantly defends some of his prejudices. To be fair, most of them are just prejudices of time and place, which we may slight thanks to the benefit of hindsight.

And, of course, there is the evident Wanderlust.

Gecko

A pair of geckos and feeling good about some money well-spent...

Lookback

So...

Friday: Expensive camera lens. Hole in pocket not so big. No filter accessories. Too many varieties. Dizzy. Dinner with high school friends. Favourite. Cafe Iguana. Nachos. Sol. Stories from the girls. 30. Exercise vs. aging.

Saturday: Unalarmed. Simply bread. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Mango Mucho. Rabbit, Run. Couch. Makan Mumbai dinner.

Sunday: Family Matters. Hungry. Chemistry tuition. Homecooked Indian meal. Couch. Family Matters. Australia plans. Uluru into itinerary. Sunset photos at Bukit Batok Nature Reserve with new lens. Stuffed Parathas.

Monday: Oatmeal breakfast. Couch. Family Matters. Heritage - Copthorne Orchid soon. End of an era. Diving Manual. Wetsuit elation. Swimming pool. Bread and jam. Travel bookings. 50 dive destinations.

Nice.

Technology

Just initiated a room booking on Google chat with the hotel Reservations desk.

Last month, there was one that I completed through Facebook.

Times are changing.

Relief

I managed to get into my diving wetsuit without any trouble... after four years, it still fits...

Words

It is such a gift to be able to write. Write well, that is...

Perhaps an even greater gift to be able to read what is written...

Yet, so many of us do not. And, a thought for those who just cannot...

What would we be without the magic of the written word? The charm unleashed when it is read...

Handover

After a very short stint...

Degrees

Triathlon was good. I get to say that I completed a triathlon, when all I did was run 5 km without undue stress. I have a finisher's medal and a t-shirt to show for it. Mixed relay sprint triathlon. A swims 750 m in rough open sea, B cycles 20 km, and then, it's my turn to stroll. Clearly, I got the better end of the bargain. I won't complain given that someone died there the next day, swimming the olympic distance (may his soul rest in peace). Saw Danny Bhadran huffing and puffing by, in a different category. He lives two blocks from my place, I don't see him in two years, and we end up huffing and puffing at the same event. I really enjoyed meeting two random people from work, getting together as a team and cheering one another on. I can't describe how delirious we were when we finally saw our swimmer step on to solid ground or when we led our cyclist in at the end of her third lap. We finished 32nd in a group of 44 teams, but all we had set out to do was finish.

Istana was bad. First time I volunteered to go on an outing with a photography group (come on, Parth does not count as a group). It sucked. First, it was the day after my triathlon. Second, there was a one-hour queue to get in (to the Istana - would you believe it?). Third, there was absolutely nothing worth mentioning at the end of that queue, beyond those magical gates. Fourth, photography group consisted of one hot chick and a few exasperating male enthusiasts who could not resist throwing an unsolicited tip or two my way, every time they passed me by. Of course, they all had vastly superior kit. Almost every unsolicited tip involved getting more expensive kit (as if I did not already know that). And, it was so unbearably hot.

Bump on the head was (is) worse. Flagged a taxi at a traffic light. Rushed to get in. Left out a little bit of the skull just above the level of the taxi's roof. Ravi and I had a good laugh about it. This morning, boss scared the everything out of me, and insisted that I see a doctor. Doctor says all is well. Everything is still in the right place. There is not even a gash. All I need to do is not throw up in the next twenty-eight hours.

Long weekend ahead. Must... Buy expensive camera kit and take to Pulau Ubin. Meet high school buddies. Finish reading diving manual and dare to try fitting into old wetsuit. Swim. Resume cooking. Run in preparation for 6 km stroll. Do wedding stuff. Make Chiang Mai, Greece, Australia bookings. Watch World War 2 documentaries.

Does not seem very long now...